While its prize money is only
a fraction of what some of the
large barbecue competitions offer,
the Taste of Elegance (Taste)
is probably the most prestigious
culinary cook-off in Iowa. Funded
by the National Pork Board check-off
program and a dozen big name co-sponsors,
20 different states hold Taste
competitions each year to select
their representatives for the
national finals held in San Diego.
Because contestants must plate
dishes that have not previously
appeared on their restaurantís
menu, the competition lures the
creative professionals looking
for the next hot recipe.

This yearís event at the Downtown
Marriott was the most competitive
ever. Two former champions showed
up as sous chefs for friends:
2005 winner Rob Beasley (former
chef-partner of Mojoís on 86th)
assisted Shad Kirton (chef-partner
of Absolute Flavors and Smokey
Dís); and last yearís champ, Jennifer
Strauss (chef-owner of Carefree
Patisserie) assisted Cyd Koehn-Mull
(owner-chef of Cydís Catering).
Other finalists included L.J.
Ames of the Fort Dodge Country
Club, Patrick Carlson of Bourbon
Street in Cedar Falls, Ephraim
Malag of Oak View in Polk City,
Chris Meyers of Ferrariís in Cedar
Falls, Roy Thompson of Deerfield
Retirement Community and two precocious
young chefs from Des Moines ó
Scott Stroud of Dos Rios and Sean
Wilson of Azalea.

Some recipes included more than
40 ingredients and required an
entire weekend of preparation.
Stroudís was the most time-consuming.
He brined Niman Ranch pork shanks
before smoking them in banana
leaves, pulling the meat off the
bones and mixing it with a puree
of several different re-hydrated
chilies he had toasted in pork
lard, plus fresh chilies cooked
in olive oil with tomatillos and
tomatoes. He served that combo
with a gremalata of pork belly,
a pickled radish hay, scratch-made
tortillas and momocho (crinkled
fried pork skin). Stroud promised
that this dish would be on Dos
Riosí menu ďsomeday soon.Ē

Wilson offered more immediate
gratification. He said his die-for-braised
pork belly with wild mushroom/pork
neck hash would be on Azaleaís
weekend menu by the time you read
this. His preparation begins with
a stock of pigtails and trotters
and a ragout of pig necks, crème
fraiche and four wild mushrooms,
plus a dozen other ingredients.
He served it with a listener (fried,
simmered pig earís) salad and
a foam of sweet garlic.

Malag won a $500 award for a
center cut loin marinated in red
miso, saki, citrus rose blossom
wine and seven other Asian ingredients.
He served it with a fabulous suttong
(slaw) of edamames with green
papaya, green mango, radishes,
carrots and pickled ginger. He
paired that with a gyoza (fried
dumpling) and promised that this
dish will be on the summer menu
at Oak View.

Koehn-Mull won the popular vote
of the entire audience (Peopleís
Choice Award) and $750 with a
stunning plate that included a
sausage she made with rillettes
(a pate of pork shoulder and liver),
smoked jowls, pistachios and dried
cherries. She stuffed that in
Serrano ham and served it with
roasted fennel and a black truffle-morel
risotto. She paired that with
a brined, baked tenderloin which
she punned with a pear and Port
wine sauce. Even the memory makes
me salivate.

Kirton won the electoral college,
voted by a panel of supreme court
judges, $1,000 and a trip to the
national championships with a
rack of maple and bourbon glazed
ribs paired with a smoked andouille
sausage that he made from pork
butts and beef casings. He served
that with pork hash he made with
dried cherries and three kinds
of smoked pork, plus an apple,
walnut and blue cheese relish.
Both big winners said they would
offer their new creations, but
only on their catering menus.
After winning, Kirton fired Beasley
citing a clause in Kirtonís marital
vows that requires him to use
his wife Angie as sous chef for
all events held ďin places such
as San Diego.Ē

Side dishes
Shad and Angie Kirton announced
that Smokey Dís hoped to open
a new skywalk café, next
door to Winstonís, in time for
the state wrestling tournament.
They also admitted that late March
might be more realistic. CV